MC shocker: Stay in city hotels to cost more

Tourists visiting the holy city will now have to shell out extra bucks.

The Amritsar Municipal Corporation (AMC), in its latest decision, has proposed to levy a 'beautification fund' on the hotel industry. This fund will cover all categories of hotels.

However, 'serais' run or owned by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) or any other religious body and dharamsalas have been exempted from the fund.

AMC commissioner DPS Kharbanda told HT on Tuesday, "It has been proposed that five-star hotels will pay an additional amount of Rs 200 per day for each room in addition to VAT or other taxes. The amount for three-star hotels is Rs 100 per day for each room, while for all the other categories, it is Rs 50 per day each room."

Stating that it was not a tax, Kharbanda said, "It is not a tax but a fund which will be utilised for the beautification of the city."

Sources said the beautification fund had been proposed by the state government for hotels located in the main religious towns of the state. "The amount thus collected will be used for improving the infrastructure in these towns," they added.

The AMC will submit the proposal for approval at its house meeting here on Wednesday.

If passed, the same will be enforced from January 2014.

Criticising the move, Congress councillor Raj Kawalpreet Singh Lucky, said, "Instead of making the stay of tourists and devotees cheaper, we are doing the opposite. This is marring the city's image of a tourist destination."